After allowing 299 rushing yards in the Wild Card loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the Pittsburgh Steelers set out to shore up the run defense entering the 2025 season.
The Steelers drafted rookies Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black to help fix the issue. They also signed veteran Daniel Ekuale in free agency. But a key piece in most of their plans was third-year nose tackle Keeanu Benton.
Against the New York Jets, in the first crucial test of the season for the run defense, the Steelers failed. Benton was a big part of that.
He wasn’t alone, but he was a substantive part of the struggles on Sunday.